Quail season going statewide

April 23, 2007

SIOUX FALLS (AP) - The state Game, Fish and Parks Commission has approved a statewide quail hunting season that coincides with the statewide pheasant hunting season Oct. 20 to Jan. 6. The quail season had been limited to eight southeastern South Dakota counties. “There's not going to be quail everywhere,” said George Vandel, GF&P assistant Wildlife Division director. “Wild quail currently exist only in the southern tier of counties in central and eastern South Dakota. Mild weather that allows quail to over-winter in combination with proper habitat is required and is likely only going to occur in those areas,” he said in a release. Vandel said restricting the quail season to eight counties hampered private efforts to release and hunt pen-raised quail. “Prior to this, if you released quail on your land and that land wasn't in those eight counties, you couldn't hunt them,” he said.